A safety monitor approved by Child Protective Services to be a
caregiver for a 4-month-old girl and the woman’s boyfriend were
arrested by Chandler police on Tuesday after an investigation
revealed that the baby had 14 broken bones and a cigarette
burn.

Police arrested Angelica Jimenez, 25, on suspicion of hindering
prosecution and child abuse. Steve Saldana, her 30-year-old
boyfriend, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of child
abuse.

Police say Saldana was staying at Jimenez’s residence when the
incident happened Aug. 3 and when he began abusing the baby four
days earlier she never reported it to authorities. The baby was
taken to the hospital after Jimenez discovered the girl was not
breathing. Medical personnel were able to resuscitate the baby, and
after conducting a number of tests discovered the girl had multiple
bruises and abrasion on her body in addition to the broken bones
and cigarette burn, according to police.

At first, Jimenez told police and CPS she was home alone with
the baby when she noticed that the child was not breathing and that
Saldana did not reside with her.

Jiminez, the safety monitor is not an employee of CPS, but is
someone who knows the family of the child and agrees to take care
of them, according to Steve Meissner, a spokesman for Child
Protective Services, said CPS conducts a background check on
prospective safety monitors for children placed in other homes to
make sure they are fit to be caregivers and decides whether to
approve them, Meissner said.

But police say Saldana, who was a convicted felon with a long
criminal history, did live with Jimenez and began abusing the child
July 31. Saldana also abused the child Aug. 2, according to
police.

In 2008, Saldana was convicted of an aggravated DUI and a
dangerous drug violation and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He was released in June 2010, according to Arizona Department of
Corrections records. During his short time in prison, Saldana was
disciplined six times, including for violating sanitation
requirements, unsafe use of machinery and branding tattoos or
piercings, according to prison records.

The arrests mark the second Chandler couple arrested in a week
on suspicion of severe child abuse.

On Aug. 17, Chandler police arrested Melissa Chambers and ex-con
Travis Darrah on suspicion of child abuse involving a 4-year-old
boy after a monthlong investigation. Darrah told police he had
dragged the boy down a hallway by his arm and the boy fell, causing
his leg to be broken. Chambers, the boy’s 22-year-old mother,
initially was not truthful with investigators during questioning
and was arrested on suspicion of hindering prosecution, police
said.

Police also uncovered previous incidents of child abuse
involving the boy, including a broken rib that was healing.

In 2005, Darrah was convicted of trafficking in stolen property
and misconduct involving weapons, according to Arizona Department
of Corrections records. He was released from prison in 2008,
according to prison records.

Police urge anyone to report suspicion of child abuse to their
local law enforcement agency or to CPS, especially if a child
routinely has bumps and bruises or if the child is wearing clothing
that covers arms or legs in hot weather conditions. For more
information, visit www.preventchildabuse.us or call (888)
777-2445.